


Stranger Tides

by greeneggs101



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, MerMay, Mermaid Riku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101/pseuds/greeneggs101
Summary: Sora and Riku just get separated after landing in the Caribbean. Sora's landed with Captain Jack and his crew. But where was Riku?
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 112





	1. Sora's Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Story that I mailed out with some cards to friends for a bit of a pick-me-up : ) Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> (Also, apparently, the tag for Jack Sparrow in Kingdom Hearts is just "Jack Sparrow" and I can't help but feel there should be a "Captain" in there somewhere)

“Riku!” Sora called out. “Riku!!! Can you hear me?!”

“Keep it down!” Mr. Gibbs grabbed Sora’s arm, yanking him away from the edge of the ship. “You want to bring them upon us?”

Sora gritted his teeth, his hand tightening around the compass that Jack let him borrow. “Bring who? Look, Jack said his compass would lead me to Riku, and it led me here, so that means—” 

“Means your mate may have gotten himself into a bit of a pickle,” Jack said, waltzing up to Sora and taking his compass back. “These waters are infested with mermaids.” 

“What?! Mermaids?” Sora ran over to the edge of the ship again. “So? I know mermaids! They’re nice and like to sing and…” 

He trailed off when he looked back and saw Jack’s crew staring at him in disbelief. “What?”

“I’m not sure what mermaids you’ve met, lad.” Mr. Gibbs glanced wearily over the side of the ship. “But these mermaids… they’re man-eaters. They’ll sing alright… but only to lead you to your doom.” 

Sora swallowed around his dry throat, worry for Riku bubbling up. Riku was fine, he always was, but he had never been to this world before. It was supposed to be an adventure, but now they’d gotten separated as soon as they landed. Where was—

“If you want to find your mate,” Jack said, stepping over to the rail to look out at the calm waves of the bay they had anchored in. “It might be best to start singing.”

“Huh?”

“They like the sound, I’ve heard.”

“Jack, I really don’t think that’s the best idea,” Master Gibbs warned. 

“If the mermaids have seen Sora’s mate, it would be nice to ask one. If not… well, we need to ask the mermaids a few questions of our own, savvy?” Jack tapped the map he was holding. 

Sora tuned out as Jack and Mr. Gibbs began to argue and instead looked out at the sea. He should sing then? 

Nothing really came to mind, but…

Sora began to hum a familiar tune. The melody that came from the Sound Idea he and Riku had found during their exam. It didn’t have words, but maybe the humming would—

“What a lovely song.”

Sora startled, turning towards the voice, finding a young woman with long wet hair perched on the railing of the ship. Tilting his head, Sora thought back. He didn’t think there were any girls in the crew. 

The woman laughed at his confusion, throwing her head back in delight, and then Sora suddenly noticed the tail that started at her waist and tapered into two green iridescent fins. “Oh! You’re a mermaid!”

The woman smiled pleasantly and nodded. “Won’t you sing for me some more?”

Blinking, Sora looked back at the crew, many of whom were staring at the mermaid in a mix of awe and fear. “I can… but I wanted to ask a question first. I’m looking for a friend, he’s—”

“We can talk about him after you sing for me…” The woman began to hum the same tune that Sora had sung, but there was something off about it. Sora shook his head, backing away from the mermaid in confusion. 

“Sorry… you have a nice voice. But I really want to—” 

The mermaid’s expression instantly soured. “Am I not pretty enough for you?”

Sora’s confusion grew. “No! Er, you’re very nice. But my boyfriend, Riku, is—” 

A voice rang out over the water, deeper and even more beautiful than the mermaid’s. 

And singing the perfect harmony to Sora’s song. 

Sora walked towards the railing in a trance, humming along. The voice was beautiful, a perfect baritone and so, so nice. Sora wondered if it would be as nice when it was just talking. It probably would be. The owner of the voice probably had a nice laugh too and—

“Sora! Look out!”

“Oi! Kid!”

Sora walked straight off the ship and fell into the water below. The shock of the cold ocean pulled him out of his trance, and he sputtered for air, his magic kicking in and allowing him to breathe. In an instant, more fishtails surrounded him as arms reached and pulled, trying to drag him under. Sora fought, summoning his keyblade and scaring them off with a Sea-Fire. The mermaids didn’t swim far though, circling back in as soon as the flames dissipated, their once beautiful expressions now soured and twisted into something frightening. Sora’s eyes widened, and he tried to swim for the surface, but they gave chase. 

Sora had almost reached the ship when the mermaids grabbed him again. Grunting, Sora tried to kick them away, reluctant to use his keyblade. Despite their frightening faces and Master Gibbs’s words, they were still mermaids. And they reminded him of Ariel, and he’d  _ never _ hurt Ariel and—

Suddenly another pair of arms circled his waist and pulled him away from the grasping hands and shrieking voices. The mermaids gave chase once more, but another fireball lobbed at them finally scared them off enough to leave. Sora stared as the flames dissipated, these not the orange of his own magic, but dark and purple, just like—

“Are you okay?”

Sora jerked around in the arms holding him, finding Riku. Laughing and grinning, Sora hugged his boyfriend, kissing him fiercely before pulling away. “Where have you been?! Why are you—”

Slowly, Sora became aware that Riku’s hair was longer, floating free in the ocean currents. His torso was bare and his legs— 

Sora gasped. Where Riku’s legs had been, there was now a glistening blue tail, longer than any of the other mermaids and completely covered in transparent ruffly fins. As Sora looked closer, he realized that Riku’s arms were also covered in spiny fins. 

“I think your magic may have misfired a bit…” Riku grumbled, looking down at the fins on his arms, face flushed with a bit of embarrassment. “Sorry if I scared you…”

“Scared me?” Sora gasped. “Riku, you’re gorgeous. Was that you singing?”

Riku’s face flushed even more, and Sora giggled when he noticed that Riku’s fins seemed to flare up as well. 

“Yeah… I couldn’t help myself. That was our—”

“Our heart song,” Sora finished. 

Finally, Riku’s embarrassment seemed to lessen, and Sora took the chance to look around, finding that the mermaids had all swam off, realizing that they wouldn’t be able to get their dinner with Riku around. A shadow passed over them, and they both looked up, finding Sora’s ship just above them. Sora grinned and kicked off from the seafloor, swimming up. He felt the shift in the water as Riku followed him. 

They broke the surface, and Sora gasped in the fresh air. Riku broke the surface next to him, still looking beautiful with his silver hair plastered to his face. 

Suddenly a net fell over them both, and Sora heard the shouts and calls of the sailors above them. The net began to pull them out of the water, and Riku shrieked in pain as the water began to drip away from his skin, effectively starting to dry him out.

“Wait!” Sora shouted up, “Wait, this is Riku! Put us back!”

But the sailors didn’t listen, continuing to pull them aboard Sora’s ship. They hit the deck hard, still tangled up in the net. Sora glanced around, finding several swords and spears pointing at them. 

At Riku. 

Sora gasped and threw himself over Riku’s back. “Wait! Stop! This is—” 

Riku hissed and started struggling in Sora’s arms as the water on his skin and tail continued to dry in the hot sun. Then his scales began to fade, his tale shifting until a pair of pale legs appeared, covered in a pair of loose linen shorts but otherwise bare. Riku began to shake, but in pain or cold Sora didn’t know. He quickly peeled off his jacket, heavy with salt water but still warmer than nothing and wrapped it around Riku’s bare shoulders, pressing his chest to Riku’s back. Riku nodded gratefully and leaned into Sora’s embrace. 

Sora glanced up at the surprised crew. “Uh… Found my friend Riku! I guess he got a little lost…”

“Sora, you have some of the strangest mateys,” Captain Jack muttered, before turning back to the crew. “Alright, you lot! Get back your stations!”

The crew looked at each other before scrambling back to their posts. Jack began to shout orders, with plans to head back out to sea before the mermaids came back. Sora didn’t care where they went. Now that Riku was safe and in his arms. 

Riku pulled away just enough so he could turn in Sora’s embrace, reaching up to brush Sora’s wet hair away from his face. With a grin, Sora leaned in to kiss Riku deeply, both of them tasting a bit of saltwater and seaweed. The kiss warmed Sora up better than the hot air around them, and he felt Riku stop shivering as they pulled away. Sora didn’t go far, pressing their foreheads together. “Sorry, this adventure had a crazy start. But we’re together now.”

He felt Riku’s warm breath as he chuckled, his hand gently caressing under Sora’s eye. “I’ll go where you go, my handsome captain.”

Sora giggled, smiling bright in return. “My beautiful merman.”


	2. Riku's Tail

This day was not going how Riku expected. He remembered landing in the world with Sora, Sora’s excited “Watch this, Riku!” And then—

And then he woke up here, minus two legs and with one frilly tail. That had been a shock. The breathing underwater thing was surprising as well but that became fairly easy to get used to. 

The tail not so much. He had flopped around uselessly before deciding to rest and think. 

“You okay, stranger?”

Riku glanced up at the mermaid who swam past, worry in her eyes. Nodding, Riku let out a sigh, glancing up at the sunlight filtering through the waves up above. The mermaid swam closer, taking a seat on the same ledge that Riku had taken to lounge against as he tried to figure out what to do and how to find Sora. 

“Still worried for your friend?” The mermaid asked, “Did a storm separate you two?”

“Something like that.” Riku tried to keep the details quiet, letting the locals think what they wanted. He found Sora’s frequent forgetfulness of World Order cute, but Riku had taken the lesson to heart. “But we’re both very good at finding each other. So I’m sure we’ll see him soon.”

“Throw the anchor!!”

Riku startled at the shout, muffled as it came from the surface. Glancing up, Riku saw a shadow pass over them, then a splash as a heavy anchor dropped below. Several mermaids hissed as the metal hit the bottom, destroying a particularly colorful bit of seafloor. 

“Food!” One mermaid began to swim towards the ship, others soon following. They swam in a fury, circling the length of chain that led up to the ship. 

“Riku!” 

Riku gasped and glanced up. _ Sora? _

“Can you hear me?!”

“So—” Riku was cut off when the mermaid next to him laid a hand on his arm. 

“No! We can’t let them see us. The others will bring the food when they catch it.”

It took a minute for Riku to understand her words, but then he realized that the sailors above were the food. Including Sora. 

The mermaids began to surface, and Riku quickly followed, despite the protests of the other mermaid. As soon as he broke the surface, he took a deep breath of fresh air, only half wondering how he could breathe above water as well. 

He spotted several mermaids starting to climb up the sides of the ship, one nearly up to the railing. Riku started to swim up to stop her when he heard it. 

Someone was vocalizing a song and it sounded beautiful and familiar, resonating in his heart. 

Their heart song. 

Before Riku knew it, he opened his mouth to harmonize with the melody still echoing in his heart. He didn’t know what compelled him to do it — he had never been inclined to singing before. But something encouraged him, and his voice echoed across the water. He watched, unable to stop as Sora walked towards the edge of the ship, seemingly entranced. Then Sora climbed the railing—

— and fell overboard. 

Riku snapped out of his own trance and his singing stopped. Instead, he dove under the water, eyes on where Sora had fallen. The mermaids had already surrounded him, though Sora shot a fireball through the water and scared most off. 

The mermaids surrounding him began to swarm once more. Riku used every ounce of strength he had to swim faster, his tail propelling him through the water. 

Soon he collided with Sora, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and pulling him away from the mermaids. Summoning his keyblade, he quickly fired off a Dark Firaga on instinct, surprised when the flames seemed to work just as well underwater as they did on land. 

The dark flames seemed to scare the mermaids off for good. 

Riku let out a sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”

He expected Sora to answer with a nod. He did not expect the fierce kiss. He welcomed it though, wrapping his arms firmly around Sora’s waist and kissing back. 

Sora pulled away slowly, and Riku was surprised to see that he seemed to breathe just fine underwater. Riku wondered if it was the world’s magic or Sora’s own, or—

“Where have you been? Why are you he—” 

Sora cut off as he caught a glance of Riku’s new fishtail. Riku glanced down as well, studying the fins. “I think your magic may have misfired a bit… Sorry if I scared you…”

“Scared me?” Sora gasped. “Riku! You’re gorgeous! Was that you singing?”

Riku felt his face heat up, somehow even hotter in the cool ocean waves. Sora thought he was… pretty? Like this? How could he think that when Sora was the gorgeous one. With his beautiful fierce blue eyes and face smudged with dirt. Even his hat had somehow stayed on under the water. Sora looked every inch the pirate captain they had pretended to be when they were younger. 

Riku felt his heart quicken as he took more of Sora in, finding new details to marvel in both his outfit and his posture. He struggled to remember that Sora had asked a question, and he quickly tried to answer. “Yeah… I couldn’t help myself. That was our—”

“Our heart song.” 

Riku grinned and nodded, watching as Sora smiled back, then looked around at their surroundings. He felt the ocean cool even more as a shadow passed over them, and he looked up, finding the ship from earlier. Sora began to swim towards it, so Riku followed. 

His instincts sensed danger before Sora’s did, though it was too late to do anything about it. A net ensnared them both, and Riku opened his mouth in an animalistic hiss. The hiss of anger turned to pain as they were lifted out of the ocean. Riku thrashed his tail, unable to say why it felt like his limbs were drying out. Why did it hurt?

In a haze of pain and confusion, Riku was only distantly aware of Sora’s shouts and weight against his back. Then, it was over. His tail separated into two and suddenly, he had his legs again, pale but strong. And thankfully covered in a pair of shorts. He still felt cold and shivery though, so he was grateful when Sora placed his jacket over his shoulders. He leaned into Sora’s embrace as Sora said something to the man standing on the ship who then began to shout orders. 

Sora chuckled breathlessly against his back. Riku turned in his embrace, reaching up to gently push Sora’s bangs away from his face. There was definitely something in Sora’s outfit, or maybe just the magic in the air, but Sora looked beautiful. Especially when he leaned in closer to press their lips together in a soft but deep kiss. As Sora pulled away, he pressed their foreheads together. “Sorry, this adventure had a crazy start. But we’re together now.”

Riku chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll go wherever you go, my handsome captain.”

Sora’s giggle was light and airy as he replied. “My beautiful merman.” 

Riku felt his face heat up, and he was glad that the fins were no longer around to rise up in embarrassment. Instead, he pushed against Sora lightly so he could try and stand, still keeping Sora’s jacket around his shoulders to keep the chill off. “So… where to now?”

“Stranger?”

Riku glanced out over the edge of the ship, finding the mermaid that had befriended him swimming alongside the ship, struggling a bit to keep up. 

Riku was just about to ask for the ship to slow down when Sora waved his hand slightly. Instantly, the sails furled and the ship stalled in the water. Ignoring the pirates that ran across the deck to figure out what went wrong with the sails, Riku leaned over the side of the ship. “Hello!”

“Are you okay? Did you find your friend?”

“Hello!” Sora called down, waving. 

Hesitantly, the mermaid waved back. “Do not let the pirates come back if you do not want to get eaten. We will not answer their questions about what they’re searching for.” 

Riku turned to Sora with a raised eyebrow, but Sora merely shrugged. “Something about a fountain of youth.” Sora turned back to the mermaid. “We’ll talk them into a different adventure instead!”

With a nod, she dove beneath the sea. Sora gestured with his hand, and the ship began to move once more. 

“What other kinds of adventure are you thinking of?” An older pirate asked, one Riku could only assume was Captain Jack. 

Sora grinned. “Well… you still need to get your ship back right? How ‘bout a search for the  _ Pearl _ ?”

The other pirates on deck shouted in excitement at the prospect and Jack smirked. “Sounds like a plan. Especially with a merman on our side. But first, we must find our heading!” 

He passed Sora a small box on a short chain. When Sora opened it, he revealed a compass, the arrow spinning round and round, never seeming to point north. With a grin, Sora passed the compass into Riku’s hands. 

“Ready for a  _ real _ adventure?”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a comment if you did! You can find me on twitter @Green_eggs101!


End file.
